Sustainable Foster City

October 2, 2019

“Climate Change is no longer some far-off problem; it is happening here, it is happening now.” – Barack Obama

The challenges of Climate Change issue were much in the news lately and we were inspired and compelled to consider taking action resulting in a positive impact for our environment. With the topic at the top of mind for all of us, it’s a great opportunity for me to share more about Foster City’s efforts on Sustainability. I hope that this information will not only lead to appreciation of the great work being done, but will also inspire you all to get more engaged and involved. 

Recently, Foster City received the 2019 Gold Level Beacon award from the Institute for Local Government, which is a testament to Foster City’s focus and dedication on Environmental and Sustainability Programs. As with every accomplishment, this important recognition too did not happen overnight. Sustainable Foster City is a holistic strategy that seeks to protect, maintain, and grow the economic and natural resources in Foster City, and to allow the community to pursue an enhanced quality of life. In fact, the Sustainable Foster City framework was adopted in 2012 and is based on three tenets: Economic Development, Environmental Sustainability, and Social Equity & Engagement. 

Over the years, each of the three tenets have had individual plans and various separate efforts put towards them.

• Economic Development: In 2016, City Council approved an Economic Development Strategic Plan with programs and initiatives for the past few years including, but not limited to:
  • A subsidized carpooling program in 2017-2018 that resulted in 15,000 fewer commute-time car trips in and out of Foster City and a savings of 375,000 pounds of CO2.
  • Foster City – Kiva Matching Loan Fund program to bring 0% interest crowdfunded loans and matching loan funds to Foster City small and micro business owners.
  • Under the umbrella of the City Manager’s Office, an Ombudsman Program which assists businesses and developers in navigating the City’s regulations and requirements.
  • The “Get it Here: Support Local Foster City” Program to help promote the fantastic small local businesses we have in town.
  • Formation of the 92 Corridor Alliance – a collaboration of public-private entities working towards transportation solutions along the Highway 92 Corridor, an often-overlooked traffic area in terms of state funding.
• Environmental Sustainability: 
  • Also in 2016, City Council adopted the City's first Climate Action Plan (CAP). The CAP provides a set of implementation measures and programs to address climate change through reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) associated with vehicle trips, land use, energy consumption, solid waste, and City operations. The City monitors the Climate Action Plan’s implementation progress on an ongoing basis. The CAP is scheduled for update in 2020. 
  • Outside of the CAP, the City has undertaken several environmentally sustainable projects over the past few years, including, but not limited to:
    • As part of the Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Intersection Evaluation Study, green bike lanes and sharrows became the City standard for higher visibility and increased safety.
    • The Parks Department completed several synthetic turf or lawn conversion to drought resistant landscaping projects.
    • Foster City annually participates in the SunShares program to educate the public on rooftop solar and zero-emission vehicle discounts.
    • The City offered residents several community recycling and composting events, including four free composting events and three free shredding events.
    • Year over year community water use reduction.
    • City of Foster City municipal operations are powered by 100% renewable electricity through Peninsula Clean Energy.
    • Held Earth Day events with the community, schools, and large businesses to promote local sustainability.
    • Installed (4) EV charging stations at the Library Parking lot, the first on public lands in Foster City.
• Social Equity & Engagement: 
  • In Fiscal Year 2015-2016, the City created a Communications Division to increase and improve City communications and create an inspiring, inclusive and diverse culture of public engagement activities that enhance the City’s community relations through genuine dialogue.
  • The Communications division continues to increase and diversify content across Foster City's social media platforms, including: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Eventbrite, Nextdoor, and Foster City Access. The City also directly engages citizens through Foster City Forum using targeted surveys on a variety of topical issues.
  • The City also has several subscriber-based newsletters with over 8,900 subscribers to reach targeted population segments including the Foster City Current (for residents) and the Economic Development e-Newsletter (for businesses).
  • In 2017, the City has created the highly successful Community Dialogue Series to Inform, Engage, and Involve the community on a variety of topics including workforce housing, transportation and mobility, and commercial retail.

In 2018, City Council approved the creation the Citizens Sustainability Advisory Committee (CSAC) to help staff integrate all sustainability efforts into one plan – the Sustainable Foster City Plan, scheduled for consideration by City Council this fiscal year. The new plan, with direct input from our community members through the citizens committee, will be an accessible plan for City government and all community stakeholders to conserve and enhance local resources, protect human health and the environment, maintain a strong and diverse economy, and improve the livability and quality of life for all community members who live, work, and play in Foster City. 

To learn more about Foster City’s sustainability practices, you can visit sustainable.fostercity.org. I welcome your thoughts and ideas to contribute on this important topic or any other topic. Please continue to reach out to me at rawasthi@fostercity.org.